Do I set out to write like Joe Abercrombie? Well, maybe, because I love his work and I want to love my work (but I don’t know if that is ever really possible for an author to truly LURVE their own output… because we can always see what it was meant to be). I’ve nearly finished reading all his currently published works… then I will be sad… but more is coming out, so I will be happy (yay!).

Anyway… in another sense I don’t set out to write like Mr. Abercrombie, because, well, I like sexual tension and romance in stories, and so I write stories with these elements appearing fairly central to the overall plot. It often makes me wonder if I’ll find much of an audience. I mean, some elements of my stories probably appeal to those who like dark, gritty themes and violence and whatnot, while other aspects of my stories will appeal to those who dig romance and sex… Is there an audience for both? Well… there’s me (o: I’m not entirely unique… Somewhere out there, are others like me, and just maybe (please!) they feel like reading something I write….

And so… I continue to write… Just in case.

my deepest apologies to my other reviewers, because I TOTALLY dig your work, too… it’s just… it’s just… yeah, I can’t dig myself out of this one. But don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved plenty of reviews – the passion with which some people can talk about my book… wow… just wow. Y’all are awesome.

… no matter how much you think you know better… you probably don’t. The story knows.

So, I’m still writing. Yes, yes, I know, I haven’t kept you updated… been too busy writing, or thinking up marketing strategies for HEALER’S TOUCH – often having to remind myself that the best marketing strategy for HT is to get WARRIOR’S TOUCH out there…

But I just felt like sharing something…

This may not be true for everyone, but for me, it really is: my stories write themselves, and if I try to go against them, I get stifled.

I’ve been reminded of this fact a couple of times recenty.

A few weeks ago I had an idea for WT. I thought “That’ll be really cool, and according to well-established story beats, a good time for that to happen would be… later in the story.” Cool, I thought. I have something to work towards.

Wrong.

I stagnated.

I kept pushing on, telling myself “Come on, write, there’s good stuff coming.” Not that I thought what I was writing at the time was terrible, or even bad. I was just struggling to find momentum in my writing.

Then I had an epiphany. That idea that I thought would work best coming later in the story could easily

Salmonella Dub – For the Love Of It (not the version I was thinking of, but it will do)

Why do you write?

When I published my post the other day, somewhat jokingly bemoaning my as yet undiscoveredness, I did get a couple of reminders that we should be writing because we love it, not in order to get famous or (heaven forbid) rich.

Seriously, though, I’m sure we all know by now that selling books comes down to more than a matter of having a book out there. First and foremost, it has to be a good book. If you would like it to sell well, it also has to find wide appeal (and sign a movie deal). Now, that sort of thing is hard to predict. It’s a matter of giving the world what it wants when it wants it. You can’t guess this based on what’s been selling. By the time you finish your book, the world will very likely have moved on. So we come back to the good old: Write what you want to read and hope. It’s all about hope.

There is one thing that will help your book sell (once you’ve already written a good one): word-of-mouth.

You can find out which five I’d take if there was a strict limit (take a fully loaded eReader, I say!… or tablet… something that can play music, too)… Um, where was I? Right, yes, see which five I’d take and why HERE.

Share and share alike they say. So I guess it’s my turn to share my experiences of a Goodreads Giveaway, just in case it helps those who come after me…

Well, first things first. Before I ran my giveaway, I checked out this page. It gives a nice blow-by-blow run down of giveaway results, showing you how different blurb styles and run times can affect the outcome of a giveaway. Reading this page can help you decide the ideal length of giveaway for you, and to write the most successful giveaway plug you can (e.g. Rather than the back-cover copy – which people can find easily enough – include reviews!).

I would like to add one caveat: Giveaway entries do not equal eventual sales, nor do additions to Goodreads shelves. While I was well aware of this, I was still surprised by other aspects of the giveaway.

If you’ve ever entered a Goodreads giveaway, you’ll know that when you do, there is a checkbox, already ticked, to add the book to your to-read list. Great. If you’re hoping to win a free copy then presumably you want to read the book! Well, yes, perhaps…

So, as a sort of Celebration of the release of Healer’s Touch, my publisher, Kristell Ink, is letting me GIVE AWAY five (yep, 5!) copies of the paperback edition to Goodreads members. And, because I can, I’m going to sign them…

The giveaway will begin Wednesday 13th February and will run for 10 days, closing Friday 22nd. So, if you haven’t rushed out and bought a copy yet (and why not?!), or you just really, really want a signed copy (I’m sure you can find someone to pass your other one on to), then head on over to: